Chapter 385

“Ah Re, hurry, go capture Shen Yuanbai and the Fourth Princess. Qiao Bo is here to protect us!”

The rest of the words weren’t meant for Ah Re. He needed to be sent away first!

Although Ah Re was full of questions, he thought it over and reasoned that since this was His Highness’s plan, the Princess must have already been equipped with defensive armor.

With the Princess unharmed, he should press the advantage!

“Understood!”

“There’s Qiao family here, follow me!”

Ah Re called to his subordinates, and the Qiao family’s troops naturally tightened their encirclement. Ah Re led his people out!

Meng Guxue glanced at the room; Shen Yuanbai was leaning in to whisper something in Baili Miaoxue’s ear.

But right now, she had something more urgent on her mind. Shen Yuanbai had to take a back seat!

She suddenly stood up, moved close to Jiaojiao, her eyes glinting with a different kind of light.

Jiaojiao: “……”

She nonchalantly glanced at the side, where the Merit Mall was floating, paused on the “Memory Erasure Talisman” section.

Jiaojiao wasn’t sure how Meng Guxue would react or what her attitude would be.

The couplet from the Lantern Festival, the craze for soap, lipstick, and perfume, and everything that contradicted her dream…

Meng Guxue should be able to see through it all with a little imagination.

At this moment, Meng Guxue looked at the slightly stunned Jiaojiao, her eyes slowly turning red.

No one knew!

No one knew how many deaths she had endured, how much suffering she had experienced, and how many times her confidence had been rebuilt to reach this point!

Today… today, she finally met someone of her “kind”! Someone of her “kind,” right…

Thinking this, Meng Guxue tilted her head slightly and carefully said to Jiaojiao, “Fellow townsfolk?”

Jiaojiao shivered slightly, her thoughts swirling, but she decided to respond to Meng Guxue first.

She hesitantly replied, “Tears in both eyes?”

“Ah!!! I’m crying!!!”

Meng Guxue’s face instantly flushed red, and at that moment, her tears truly flowed down like a river.

She pouted with grievance and then suddenly threw herself at Jiaojiao, hugging her tightly.

Qiao Bo was a bit startled. Not understanding what was happening, he saw his young lady did not resist, so he let her move a little aside.

Jiaojiao’s expression was complex. She felt Meng Guxue’s tears soaking through her clothes, warm against her shoulder.

“Elder Sister Meng…”

Jiaojiao sighed softly and lifted her hand to embrace Meng Guxue’s neck.

Meng Guxue was worried she might be overreacting, and she was desperately trying to suppress her sobs. But when Jiaojiao called out to her, her tears gushed out uncontrollably.

“Wuwuwu, Jiaojiao, why… why didn’t you reveal yourself to me sooner? My heart is so painful!”

“I’m alone in this world, and I’m really, really scared. Sometimes I even think that if I just ended it all, maybe I could go back.”

“This place is so terrifying. I can’t fight against them at all. I don’t know anything. I’m just an ordinary college student!”

As Meng Guxue spoke, her tears flowed more fiercely, and she ended up crying hysterically.

Ah Re was stunned by the sound and turned to look, thinking: It seems the Princess has been thoroughly terrified after her brush with death!

Qiao Bo: （′?灬?）?

What happened? Why is Miss Meng crying so heartbreakingly while hugging our young lady?

Jiaojiao gently patted Meng Guxue’s back and said warmly:

“Elder Sister Meng, don’t be afraid. Look at how much you’ve grown. You just safely brought me out of the room!”

Meng Guxue looked up, her tears streaming down, and was about to scrutinize Jiaojiao further when her expression suddenly changed dramatically.

“It’s over. I’ve made a fool of myself. I used to write so many poems, and do I now seem like a stupid, foolish person to you?”

“I even went all out to get close to Shen Yuanbai. Do you look down on me for that?”

“Ah! And what about Lord Qiao? Does he know about my shortcomings too?”

“Ahhh! I’m going crazy! The person I admire most is Lord Qiao. He really changed me. If all of this is also fake, then… then living is truly meaningless!”

Meng Guxue continued to break down, and amidst the chaotic sounds of battle, she felt a splitting headache.

She knew her past was vile, driven by a desire to cling to men, oblivious to the world, thinking herself the center of it all.

She had changed, she really had…

Jiaojiao, seeing this, quickly grabbed Meng Guxue’s shoulders and said urgently:

“Elder Sister Meng, don’t think like that. My father and I came to Nanli just for you!”

“My father really likes you. When he received your letter and learned about your difficult situation, he immediately asked His Majesty for permission to come to Nanli personally.”

“We all like you very much. As for the past… you stood alone in the fog, feeling lost and helpless, didn’t you?”

“You said you had dreams, and you revealed them to my father without reservation. We’re truly grateful to you!”

Jiaojiao’s voice, though not loud, was firmly conveyed through the clang of weapons clashing, reaching Meng Guxue’s ears.

Meng Guxue’s tears continued to fall, one by one, as she listened.

At this moment, it wasn’t about grievance or hesitation. Her heart felt relieved, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

In her moments of doubt, she was once again firmly acknowledged.

Last time it was Lord Qiao, whom she admired most. This time it was Jiaojiao, a fellow traveler.

“I knew it. I knew I wasn’t that bad. I can be good too…” Meng Guxue choked as she spoke.

Jiaojiao nodded repeatedly, a hint of pride on her face.

“Of course! We’re both good kids who grew up under the red flag. Given time, Elder Sister Meng will surely shine in this world!”

Hearing this, Meng Guxue felt a warm current flowing into her heart, and her previously turbulent emotions finally began to calm down.

Jiaojiao, seeing this, felt slightly relieved. As she was about to pull her hand away, Meng Guxue suddenly grasped it.

Her expression was more serious than ever, filled with indescribable gratitude.

“Jiaojiao, thank you for coming. Really.”

“Reality has completely diverged from my dreams. I know you changed all this. Without your presence, I would still have blindly clung to Shen Yuanbai.”

“I would have been blinded by love, helping Shen Yuanbai seize the throne and train the children of the Tzu Chi Bureau into assassins. When I learned the truth, I would have been condemned by my own conscience.”

“Now I’ve seen through Shen Yuanbai’s true nature. That dream stopped abruptly when Shen Yuanbai became emperor, but what about my ending…”

“I’ve always wondered if, in that ‘beautiful dream,’ I might not have ended well either.”

“Jiaojiao, I’ve truly been relieved more than once. When Emperor Yong asked me who I would choose in the Great Hall, I made the exact opposite choice from my dream.”

Saying this, Meng Guxue sighed deeply.

This change was akin to a complete rebirth, and it had been extremely difficult for her.

But she had reached this point, living a life completely different from that grand dream!